Back to Baltimore
by Sometimes A Writer
Summary: Tony DiNozzo gets a call he never expects and heads up to Baltimore to help find justice for a former coworker.
1. Chapter 1

_First things first - I do not own any of the characters or trademarks used in the show NCIS. This is my first fanfic, so I hope you enjoy. Please R&R._

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><p>Strolling to his desk, Anthony DiNozzo threw his bag and jacket to their respective places like he had done on Wednesdays and every other day not starting with the letter 'S' for the past couple of weeks.<p>

Despite the characteristic muggy and sweltering weather that comes with early summer in the Washington, D.C., area, he proceeded to stare into oblivion instead of rambling on about how the air conditioning in his car wasn't working or how it was too hot to go on a daily run. Well, maybe not stare into oblivion, but staring at three empty bullpen desks and the brisk movement of the other agents in their respective work areas kind of made him envious.

The whole part about being senior field agent is that when the team leader is gone, he's the one that assumes the role of team leader. That said, when two good friends – team leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs and the esteemed medical examiner, Dr. Donald Mallard – are in Europe for a well-deserved vacation, agent Timothy McGee is across the country in Los Angeles helping the Office of Special Projects with most of that team in Prague on some sort of mission that no one in the Navy Yard knows about and probationary agent Ziva David unexpectedly accepting an invitation from CIA boyfriend Ray Crews to go to Tel Aviv …

DiNozzo is left as a team leader of an empty bullpen and the sole caretaker of the Major Case Response Team.

He hadn't been enjoying the first two and a half weeks of it.

Nevertheless, director Leon Vance allowed other teams – mainly the ones in the Pentagon and in Norfolk – to handle those cases and allow DiNozzo the opportunity to catch up on cold cases and continue the assignment that was tasked to him by newly appointed Secretary of the Navy Clayton Jarvis.

Talk about torture. DiNozzo was confined mainly to the office and didn't get the chance to get out in the field. He took the elevator almost every day on clockwork around 11 a.m. to see Abby Sciuto in her forensics lab and then go meet his confident, assistant medical examiner Jimmy Palmer. The team was shorthanded but Tony was able to find a way to get to everyone who mattered to him and that, at the end of the day, made him feel better.

He was trying not to get caught up in the assignment from Jarvis and in his conversations with SECNAV since the rest of the team scurried across the face of the globe, Tony was given a respite on additional findings in the handling of his assignment. Tony really wished he could focus all of his energy on that assignment and get it over with as quickly as possible, but the SECNAV understood the position that would leave Vance in.

DiNozzo finished up a few old reports that needed to be completed and even finished the ones for McGee and David. The thought of them returning to a fresh start – more or less a fresh start for the entire team when Gibbs got back as well – boded well with him.

It hadn't crossed his mind that dispatch hadn't called in that time span to inform him of a possible case until his cell phone starting ringing. He picked up without checking the caller ID and was kind of floored to hear the voice on the other end.

"DiNozzo, its Detective Nathan Andrews, Baltimore PD," the raspy voice from the other end said rather fast-paced and eccentric. "You got a moment?"

DiNozzo recognized the tone and immediately thought back to his days of when he had to make calls similar to the one he was receiving.

"Yeah, Andrews, I got a moment. Please tell me this isn't what I think it is?"

"No, it's bad. Really bad. We found a dead Navy officer here in the city and thought we'd give you a heads up."

"Oh, that's it? From the sound of it, I thought it was something worse."

Though not a word was said immediately, DiNozzo heard the chattering of Andrews' teeth in the background and his voice not being able to form the words.

Yeah, it was as bad as he thought it was as Andrews finally found his voice and the words to come along with it.

"The Navy officer was lying next to Detective Bradley."

The wave of emotions that flew threw Tony's body, which coworkers saw in the drop of his demeanor and facial expressions, told the story – it was the absolute worst.

DiNozzo's mind flashed back to when he and Gibbs went to arrest his former police major, Frank Raimey, for murder and money laundering in connection with Danny Price's death and the scheme he ran with Navy Lt. Ian Floyd. The first voice he heard in the squad room was from Bradley. The words stuck with him for quite awhile, especially since they were said in front of Gibbs before he had the opportunity to focus on getting Raimey to confess: "Ladies and gentlemen, the legend is back. Anthony DiNozzo Jr."

The two didn't get a chance to work much before DiNozzo bolted to NCIS, but the impression Tony left on him and the reputation he held at the precinct were undeniable. That, and the round of applause that followed when he arrived in the squad room, made him hate having to go back there under those circumstances. He had tried to get in touch with a few of them to let them know he didn't mean to harm the department, but he had been met with an icy cold shoulder.

"Damn Andrews. I'm sorry. Bradley was a great guy and a pretty good detective from what I remember. What can I do for you guys?"

"Since the Navy guy falls under your jurisdiction and we can't really get involved with investigating the death of one of our own, I thought that you could come up here, take lead, we'll help out. I got a feeling you wouldn't want to cheat Bradley out of justice."

"You called the right guy Andrews," DiNozzo said, knowing full well he was the only member of the team there. "I'll head up there as quickly as possible. Need me to bring the ME?"

"Bring him. We've already got the crime scene contained and our ME has started his preliminary reports. Just need you to get up here so we can find the killer."

"I'm on my way."

As he quickly disconnected the phone, shoved it in his pocket and grabbed the gun from his drawer to slide into his side holster, he was about to utter the famous words, "Gear up," when he realized no one else was there.

He didn't even want to inform the director at the moment because he knew he was going to be told to stand down and hand the case over. And there was no way in hell he was going to hand over the case when he owed it to the Baltimore PD to find the killer.

Thinking quickly, he took the elevator down to autopsy and found Palmer sliding a corpse into the freezer.

"Hey, Pimmy Jalmer, you done with the female over there? We've got a crime scene in Baltimore."

Tony never saw a glare come from Palmer before, but the attempt at a mean glare didn't really faze DiNozzo. Mainly because of the glasses, though the only person who wore glasses who could scare him with a stare was Ducky. But using the name from McGee's book, "Deep Six," Tony definitely got Palmer's attention and momentary hatred.

"First off, I wasn't doing anything like that to the corpse! How did you even remember that? Second, I thought you weren't on active cases while the rest of the team was gone?"

"I'll fill you in on the way. We need to go!"

Not second guessing his friend, Palmer grabbed the equipment he would need and the two hopped in the ME van and took off for Baltimore. Tony was relishing the chance of driving the van since it wouldn't initially look suspicious as if he took one of the motor pool sedans. Plus, he had been able to drive it around a mob of reporters at Quantico unnoticed during the investigation of a death at the shooting of "Bootcamp Babes" and not be seen, so he was fairly certain there wouldn't be a problem getting out of the Navy Yard and to Baltimore.


	2. Chapter 2

Palmer hadn't been exactly too thrilled about the reasoning heading to Baltimore, but he understood where DiNozzo was coming from and it did technically fall under their jurisdiction. He was also pretty sure that the director wouldn't come down on him hard since he was the ME on duty and DiNozzo hadn't told him Vance had prohibited him from taking on the case.

They were lucky that traffic on the Beltway wasn't bad and were able to make good time up to Baltimore.

The murder scene, located in a park near the Inner Harbor, was quite unusually out in the open to find a cop and Navy officer, but nothing really made sense with this crime. There weren't many trees bunched together to hide the bodies and it was quite visible from the main street that passed by the park.

Tony quickly got out and walked over to the taped off area, the sun beginning to find its peak in the sky above Baltimore. He flashed his badge, making sure the officer standing nearby saw his name. The tape was immediately lifted and he walked over and saw many a familiar face and one he never wished he had to see as a lifeless form.

"Glad you could make it Tony," Andrews greeted him. "These guys quickly got over what happened with Raimey once they realized you know what you're doing when it comes to finding, catching and convicting killers. No one else has won the office pool two years in a row since you did it before you left."

"Thanks Andrews. Who took over as major after Raimey? I'm sure he's here … "

"That would be me, DiNozzo," new police major Mark Majors barked as he approached from the bodies. Majors worked vice when DiNozzo was in homicide and both were well respected among the department.

"I'd say congratulations, but I don't think anyone of us are happy with how I found out about that news," Tony said.

"No kidding Tony. I'm still trying to piece together why exactly Bradley was here."

"Well, first, do we know who the Navy officer is?"

"Yeah, our ME found an ID for a Jonathan Alderson. Works in public affairs."

"That doesn't make sense at all that a public affairs officer would be out in Baltimore. Though, I have to admit, none of this makes sense since Bradley isn't getting up anytime soon."

"From what we've been able to determine, Bradley was shot three times – twice in the chest and once in the right leg – and Alderson was shot point blank in the neck," Majors said, beginning to fill in the crime scene details. "We found shell casings in thick grass about 60 feet from the bodies, mostly likely the shots fired at Bradley, and one about 2 feet from Alderson. There's a fifth bullet lodged in a tree over there. The shell casing is with the other three around where we think the suspect fired at Bradley."

"Were you able to find Bradley's car?"

"It's over there, not too far from the crime scene. Doesn't add up since he doesn't live remotely close to this location," Andrews said, pointing to an adjacent street not far from the crime scene.

"Was he investigating anything in this area? Homicide, vice, following a lead," DiNozzo asked, following what his gut instinctively told him to mention.

"We didn't have an active case," Andrews added, filling in an initial blank about his partner. "He could have been visiting friends over at the high school four blocks south of here. He grew up in this area and said he came by to keep some friends company when he had the chance."

"I don't remember much trouble coming from this area," Majors chimed in. "Could be Bradley saw Alderson executed, tried approaching and was shot for his troubles."

"Did you find Bradley's weapon on him?" DiNozzo asked as he studied the crime scene, kneeling near both bodies and noticing that the two shots to Bradley's chest were closer to his waistline. Likely a vital organ was hit with one of the shots to make him unable to get back up and call for help.

"No," Andrews answered to DiNozzo's question.

"Was he wearing his holster?"

"It's not on his person, as you can see under his jacket," Majors retorted.

"So, the question is why was he pursuing a suspect and apparently unarmed? Why not call it in from the safety of his car where the suspect likely wouldn't have seen him?"

"That is what we are trying to figure out DiNozzo," Majors said as both he and DiNozzo stood and allowed the medical examiners to complete their work. "Well, not us trying to figure this out. You. You'll have all the notes you need from what we have initially found. Need us to fax them or send them down to D.C.?"

"No. I'll head back with you guys to the squad room and get the copies there. You've probably noticed, but the rest of my team is not here because they are out of town. I'm stuck on desk duty and the big boss doesn't know I'm here. That, however, won't stop me from finding Bradley's killer. I still have that sense of loyalty to the department."

"Thanks, Tony. I owe you two now."

"For what?"

"Getting Raimey out of the way for my promotion and taking over this case."

"I hope that first part didn't come out the way I think I heard it … "

"You're right, it didn't. Shocked you didn't come back at me with some movie reference insult … "

"Be careful. I might, but out of respect for Bradley, I'm going to be serious on this one."

"10-4, DiNozzo. Glad your ME has already taken up the bodies."

With that, Tony looked and saw Palmer was loading up the second body into the van. He hustled over to let Palmer know he was staying in Baltimore a little bit longer and that the bodies didn't need to wait. Tony grabbed all the evidence bags and told Palmer to make sure those got to Abby when he returned to the Navy Yard.

Palmer finished loading up and drove off, heading back to D.C. and not looking forward to two autopsies that would be looked over heavily by Tony and most the entire Baltimore PD.

Tony glanced down at his watch and noticed the time: 11:05 a.m. He wasn't sure why he was suddenly worried about the time until his phone began vibrating in his pocket. A quick look at caller ID showed Abby's name and he realized that he had not informed her of where he was going and that she was either worried or upset he wasn't in her lab by now checking up on her.

He hesitated a little before answering the phone.

"DiNo… "

"Tony! Why aren't you down here? You better have a good excuse or I'll make sure Sister Rosita throws 10 gutter balls so you don't win at bowling night tomorrow."

"Well, Abby, who says I can't bowl 10 gutter balls myself? You know I'm very proficient at accidentally tripping on that slippery surface and magically having my bowling ball land in the other person's lane for a strike."

"Not funny! Where are you? I saw your car here and … Why do I hear commotion in the background?"

"Look, Abs, I'm in Baltimore. Dead public affairs officer for the Navy and … "

"Wait, you're not supposed to be on active duty until the rest of the gang gets back. Does Vance know you're there?"

"No. And before you interrupted me, the second dead body is a Baltimore PD detective. They asked me to do the investigating since they know I'll get the job done and it's a conflict of interest for them to do it. … Besides, he was a friend."

"Oh Tony, I'm so sorry. Anything I can do to help?"

"Yeah, Palmer is on his way back to D.C. with both of the bodies and the evidence. I'll be back later with all the notes from the crime scene and anything additional that we uncover while I'm up here. If you don't have anything else to do for the other teams, can you get to working on that evidence for us? I'll seriously owe you a movie night or dinner out when it's done."

"Bribery will get _you_ everywhere Tony Boy. Consider it done. I don't have anything right now and my babies are starting to get anxious about when they were going to get work. Not like they mind the rest … "

"Abs," Tony said, knowing that he'd be on the phone with her for the rest of the afternoon and time would be lost in catching Bradley's killer. "Thanks."

"I expect you in the lab when you get back."

"I know Abs. I'll visit you first before Palmer. I know how women liked to be thought of first."

"Yeah, Gibbs still doesn't get that when he goes to see Ducky before coming up to the lab to see me. I told him that before, but I really think that hasn't sunk in yet … "

Before Abby went on a rant, Tony hung up the phone, got in the sedan with Majors and prepared himself not only for the drive to Baltimore PD, but to mentally prepare himself to catch whoever killed one of his own. He was and still is a cop inside.


	3. Chapter 3

Palmer heard the ding of the elevators and barely had time to look up at the automatic doors as Abby came into autopsy very interested in this new case. He had a feeling she was as interested as he was with all the secrecy and the importance of the case to their friend.

"So, Mr. Palmer, what have you found," Abby said, trying her best to sound Scottish but failing miserably.

"It's pretty straightforward with the Navy officer. Executed with a point-blank shot to the neck. Death was almost immediate. I felt an unusual blockage in the stomach line, so I'm waiting to do X-rays to get a better idea of what it is before I open that up."

Abby began to wonder what it was and her mind began racing with ideas. She grabbed some blue scrubs, a medical helmet and some gloves to begin helping Palmer with the autopsies. She went over to Bradley and was all excited to get started when she noticed Palmer had already completed the autopsy.

"Palmer, you didn't let me have any fun!"

"Uh, uh, oh, sorry Abby. I got Bradley done first since I was expecting someone from Baltimore, if not Tony himself, to call every 5 minutes wondering when I would be done."

"Palmer, you're smarter than you look."

Jimmy looked up from Alderson's body with a perplexed look and was about to say something when Abby chimed in.

"Do we know what killed him," she asked, pointing to Bradley.

"Yeah, take a look down here at the … "

"Oh yuck. Is that what I think it is and did that happen when the bullet hit it?"

"Yeah, unfortunate, but a quick way to die."

"No kidding."

"Here are the slugs and some more evidence. I'll likely have the answer to what is in the stomach line tomorrow."

With that, Abby headed out of autopsy and up to her lab to get to work on the evidence that she knew was important to an agent and an entire police department to process.

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><p>Tony wasn't having as hard of a time as he thought getting reacquainted working at the Baltimore PD. The bustle of officers with petty thieves in tow and detectives busily working the phones to get in touch with sources was just to his liking. Much better than the solidarity and quiet he had to deal with back in the bullpen at NCIS.<p>

Andrews tossed another stack of papers onto Tony's stack, causing DiNozzo to look up and let out a huff in protest.

"That's what Bradley and I were working on. Figure there might be something in there that could lead to something. I looked through those for a few minutes and nothing stood out."

"Thanks Andrews. I think my eyes are going to be bleeding after a few more hours of reading reports and assignments."

Andrews walked off and left Tony to reading. Majors appeared from his office and walked over to where Tony was working and whispered something into his ear.

Tony's head perked up and he grabbed the keys that were presented to him by Majors and made his way out of the office.

"Major, what was that about," Andrews asked.

"Following a hunch and letting DiNozzo check it out. He had this uncanny ability back in his homicide days to follow the most unconventional leads and uncover things many detectives probably could never find. Made us in vice envious at times."

"What did you tell him?"

"Ha. I'll wait until he comes back to determine whether or not my move is consider genius or dumb."

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><p>Abby spun around in her office chair and pressed the 'change track' button on her remote control to get the new Android Lust track vibrating through her lab.<p>

She got up from her chair, a little wobbly from spinning, and went back into the main portion of the lab to the dinging of her computer having a match for the shell casing removed from Detective Bradley's body.

Her eyes widen as she saw the match that came with the result.

"Oh gosh. Tony's not going to be happy with this … "

The next result, for the casing that came from the bullet that killed Alderson, popped up on her screen.

"Holy crap. That doesn't tend to happen … Oh no. This is not good."

Abby didn't really know what to do as she stared at the screen. Another set of eyes looking into her lab from a distance were equally as intrigued with the results.

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><p>Tony found himself in front of the run-down apartment complex of a rookie cop who Majors thought acted suspicious the day before and the morning of Bradley's murder.<p>

DiNozzo had checked into things before, but never something this far to the left. No, the right. Well, whatever side of the law it was, he didn't like the feeling of checking out a cop. Especially with the recent return of his memories of how he found out his former partner, Danny Price, was a dirty cop 10 years ago.

There wasn't much he could do without a warrant, so he checked around, trying to find a view through the blinds that allowed him to see inside the apartment. He wasn't sure that he saw what he saw, so Tony focused his intense search on the massive HDTV sitting over the corner of the common area and the expensive speakers that were expertly installed in the corners of the ceilings.

He dropped his keys behind the bushes in front of the outer walls and acted like he was searching for them as an older lady walked by. Tony had heard her coming and needed a distraction before she rounded the corner. The old lady stared for a moment before opening her mouth to speak.

"Are you looking for young Jeremy?"

"Yes ma'am I am. Have you seen him around?"

"I saw him leave about 25 minutes ago with another young man. Quite charming and he wore a suit kind of like what you are wearing. He couldn't have been any nicer of a man. Offered to carry my groceries up to my apartment on the second floor. Glad there are some of those still around."

"That is certainly true ma'am. Do you remember anything else about him?"

"Well, he had a military haircut. My husband, God rest his soul, served in the Navy for 35 years. I can spot a military man from a mile away. Though, he dressed an awful lot nicer than my husband could ever afford."

"Thank you so much ma'am. It was a pleasure talking to you."

Tony's gut rumbled at this latest revelation. He was glad he found out about the partner sooner rather than later. He definitely did not want to be caught off-guard and possibly killed by one of them if he mistimed any of his steps.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony stuck the key into the lock and opened the door to Danny Price's old condo. He was suddenly glad that he had decided, against his better judgment at the time, to pay the rent and utilities for it. At the time, he thought that if his old friends at the Baltimore PD ever forgave him for the Raimey incident and he came to visit and got completely drunk, he'd be able to head to the apartment in the city instead of crashing on a friend's couch, paying the outrageous taxi fee to D.C. or having a coworker come get him.

This night, after dealing with the news of Bradley's death and essentially hitting the old beat again after 10 years away, he was mentally and physically exhausted. He was stunned that Vance hadn't called and not surprised that he had missed 10 calls from Abby.

He also wasn't surprised that actually getting back out in the field after more than two weeks stuck in the office kind of drained him of his energy, but he was pretty sure that tomorrow would be easier.

He dropped onto the brown sofa in the living room of the condo and called Abby in her office.

"World-class forensic scientist Abby Sciuto at your service."

"Hey Abs."

"Anthony DiNozzo! Why haven't you come see me in the lab today? Are you mad at me?"

"No, Abs. I'm still in Baltimore. A lot more stuff I had to do than I originally thought and I've got a place to crash up here. Figured that would be easier. Did you get anything on the evidence before Vance came looking for my head and told you to shut it down?"

"If Vance wasn't looking for your head, I am," Abby said in a very serious tone, though Tony couldn't see her smile slowly creep across her lips as he pictured him terrified, which he was. "I'm kidding Tony. He never came in the office today. Sent out an email saying that he had to attend his son's first basketball camp and wouldn't be in. So, its your lucky day."

"Well, I can breathe a little easier. What do you got, Abs?"

Abby was about to go over what she had found when Tony heard an agent in the background ask her about a test she ran a few days ago. Tony let her off the phone to get back to the other agent.

About an hour after he hung up with Abby, Tony heard a knock on the door that jarred him out of a little slumber. He slowly walked over, peered through the peephole and saw an unexpected person standing outside.

The black hair, tattoo on her neck and dog collar gave her away instantly, but he was still shocked to find out she was there. He hadn't told anyone about the condo.

He slowly opened the door with a shocked look on his face.

"Before you say anything Tony, I did a GPS search on your phone while we were talking. Figured you could use some pizza and some company."

The smell of pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese fill his nostrils and he opened the door wider, allowing Abby to bounce into the apartment and lay the pizza box down on the table in front of the couch. She flopped down on the sofa before Tony got a chance to and they immediately indulged themselves with pizza.

"So, why did you come all the way up to Baltimore? Don't you have to be at the office early tomorrow," Tony asked, mouth still full of pizza.

"Luckily for you, no other team is working a case right now. Hinky doesn't begin to describe how that's possible, but I'm surprisingly not swamped right now. Figured that'll change when Gibbs gets back. I wanted to spend some time with you, especially since I don't get to see you much when you're working a case. It's mostly been Gibbs and McGee in the lab."

"Yeah, those two seem to hog all the 'Go see Abby in her lab' opportunities. I've been kind of wondering why that's been the case. So, what did Palmer end up finding in the autopsies?"

Tony gave himself another mental kick for not calling Palmer. At least he called Abby – thinking of the female first.

"Bradley was killed by the third shot. The first one didn't do much damage to his knee and the second one was a through-and-through in his side. The third one hit him in his spleen, forcing it to rupture. Death was almost instantaneous."

"Nasty. Were you able to match up the shell casings?"

"Yeah, the weapon fired to kill Bradley was a Glock 24. Standard 9MM hollow point slugs. The gun used to kill Alderson was a Walther P99. Those slugs match from a test run about 10 years ago on … "

"The Franklin homicide," Tony almost immediately chimed in. "That can't be possible. We have Raimey in custody and Floyd isn't the killer. I wonder how … "

Tony trailed off and stared out at the white wall facing them. Abby had this quizzical, yet interested look of intrigue.

"What, Tony? What is it?"

"I remember Gibbs said that Floyd had two Walther P99's registered to him. Could be he loaned his second gun to Raimey, who got rid of it after the Franklin murder. This just got more interesting. And, wait a second."

"Tony, it's not often I see you connect the dots this quickly. It's hot."

"No, it's not that. Price's weapon of choice when we were partners was a Glock 24. I always preferred the Sig Sauer, but he insisted the Glock was better at shooting targets from a distance," as Tony's voice trailed off before his thoughts came back to him. "I think we have a killer who wanted me to investigate this crime. Or it's a bunch of coincidences lined up and you know how I feel about those."

"Yeah, you and Gibbs with those guts of yours," as Abby poked him in the stomach, making him realize that he was beyond full from the pizza.

Abby nestled up against Tony on the couch after they both realized they couldn't do anymore from the condo and fell asleep within a few minutes. Before he drifted away to slumber, Tony thought that Abby was the best thing for him on this case. Not only had she made sure he was fed and had someone to talk to, she was there to be his friend during a tough time, even though he didn't mention anything about that. It was probably the look on his face that gave it away. For that, he could rest easier knowing that he had her to help him make sure the killer was caught.


	5. Chapter 5

Tony started sleeping with an eye open when he was in Philadelphia. He didn't know why that habit started, but it could be guess with a high probability that it was from all the gunshots he heard from his apartment.

He had trained himself to not fall into a deep sleep, but to be mindful of the noises around him while he slept. That grew old after a while when leaves fell or it was raining, but that part didn't bother him anymore.

It was the footsteps and the random, almost silent cracking of a stick outside of Price's condo that forced both of his eyes open. He didn't move, partially because Abby was still sleeping on his right side and mainly because he didn't want whoever was outside to see any sudden movement.

He quickly, yet silently, pulled his gun out from under the sofa cushion and held it in his left hand near the floor. The footsteps had stopped right in front of the door, which he could tell from the light of the moon, was unlocked. Probably forgot to lock it when Abby showed up. That was another mental head slap he was going to have to given himself when this ordeal was over.

He saw the lock start to move and he prepared himself for the inevitable. The door slowly crept open and Tony fired one shot straight into the figure's right shoulder. The gunshot startled Abby and her knee dug into Tony's groin area. He let out a yelp and awkwardly hopped off the sofa over toward the grimacing subject.

The light flicked on and Tony saw who he had a feeling would show up – Jeremy Barsons. Damn dirty cop. DiNozzo quickly put in a call to 911 to get an ambulance and a couple of detectives over to the condo. Once the call was placed, Barsons' weapon secured and a towel wrapped around the bloody shoulder, he went back over to a trembling Abby, who wasn't sure what to make of the scene.

"Who is he, Tony?"

"That is Jeremy Barsons, a rookie cop with the Baltimore PD. Been there about four months and the major had one of your 'hinky' feelings about him. Turns out, he was right. This guy is a dirty cop."

"You have no clue what you're talking about DiNozzo," Barsons shouted from his back at the door. He tried to move his left arm, but found out it was handcuffed to the mailbox right outside of the condo. "What the hell? Release me you bastard! This is unlawful detainment!"

"No, you broke into my residence you moron. And, I wonder what we'll find when he test this Walther P99 to the forensic evidence from the crime scene near the Inner Harbor," Tony said more matter of factly than question.

Before Barsons said another word, the detectives arrived, followed by the paramedics. The paramedics loaded Barsons into the ambulance, accompanied by an officer. The detectives took note of everything that Barsons spewed from his mouth while the paramedics were tending to him and then turned to DiNozzo.

"Nice work Tony. Looks like you caught the killer in less than a day. That's impressive."

"I wish it were that easy. Barsons had this Walther P99 on him when he attempted to break into the condo. That, likely, will match the weapon used to kill Alderson. A Glock was used to kill Bradley, which I didn't find on Barsons."

"Nice work DiNozzo."

"Thanks. I had a little help here from my friend, Abby. She makes me look good at NCIS."

Abby blushed a little at that statement before Tony looked back at the detectives.

"Means we have at least one more person out there. We know at least one other person killed Bradley, but could be someone else calling the shots. It's no coincidence that the two weapons used link back to the photo over there," Tony said, pointing to the photo Danny had up of himself, Tony and Raimey during their time in Baltimore.

"But we just potentially plugged the problem in Baltimore. Where else could the problem be?"

"NCIS," Tony coolly said.


	6. Chapter 6

Tony didn't get much sleep the rest of the night in the condo, though Abby was having no troubles at all while she held tightly to Tony's torso. There were a lot of unanswered questions running through Tony's mind and he was hoping that the interrogation later with Barsons would clear up the air.

With the sun rising and some light filtering through the blinds, Tony slid out of Abby's grasp and went straight for the shower. A quick, hot shower and a slice or two of cold pizza was exactly what he needed to start the day.

He was shocked Abby hadn't woken up, so he left a note on top of the pizza box next to the couch and taped a key to it for her to have. It was a spare key to the condo and he couldn't think of a better person to have it. It wasn't just his getaway from D.C. now, it was also hers and this was a perfect example of it. She was resting there, almost peacefully and she looked happy that she got to spend time with him.

Tony left the condo, making sure to lock the door, and made his way to the Baltimore PD. It might do him some good to get Barsons in interrogation sooner rather than later, especially with a fresh wound he can use to work to try to get some information out of him.

The answer he gave the detectives last night after Barsons was out of sight was still nagging at him. If Barsons was working with someone at NCIS, there had to be someone higher up the chain who was calling the shots. If that were the case, leaving his car at the Navy Yard and using one of Baltimore PD's motor pool cars was a big help. He wasn't leaving a paper trail back at the Navy Yard that he was working a hot case. He could always use the excuse that he was taking time off to avoid letting stuff slip that could give the rat within the Navy Yard a tip that he was on to him or even working the case.

Who's he kidding? If the dirty cop knew where he was, he was pretty sure everyone involved knew he was investigating the murders.

He pulled into the Baltimore PD parking lot and had a pretty good idea of how he was going to interrogate Barsons. There were a few things specifically he needed to know and anything else – like the name of who is called the shots – would be icing on the cake.

Before he stepped out of the car, the realization hit him that the insider at NCIS could be planning on stealing the information of what they have. Reaching into his pocket, he called Palmer and luckily he picked up on the first ring.

"Tony, why are you calling so early?"

"I'm guessing you haven't gone to the office yet. Please tell me you haven't gone to the office."

"No, you woke me up. What's going on?"

"Look, I can't really get into it, but call Abby and tell her I told you to come to her. She'll understand since she has an idea of what is going on. And please tell me you have all of your notes with you."

"Yeah, I always bring those home with me. So, what am I supposed to tell everyone when I don't show up?"

"Find that doctor that Ducky has a thing for and have her come in. I'm sure she won't mind. Besides, don't you have some time off coming to you?"

"Tony, I really don't like this. I really don't and we're going to talk about this when I see you. You are starting to act like Gibbs and I know how Ducky has to reel him back in when he's almost about to go over."

Tony let those words sink in for a few seconds, let out a breath and finally responded.

"Look, I'm not going to be like Gibbs. Just trust me on this one."

"Okay Tony. I'll call Abby and then go meet her."

Tony got off the phone and was pretty sure that if Palmer woke Abby up, she'll probably not know what he was talking about until she read Tony's note. He gave pretty specific instructions not to leave since there is the possible danger at NCIS. She could access her notes and results remotely through a secure connection, so that person couldn't get to it from the Navy Yard.

With the two people at the Navy Yard who knew what was going on soon to be together and safe at the condo in Baltimore, Tony walked into the police department and quickly found his way to the interrogation room where Barsons was being held.

Tony pushed the door open and quickly dropped down in the seat opposite Barsons. Barsons looked a little worse for wear. His hair was erratic, his right arm was in a sling and the bags under his eyes were about two shades darker than a normal person who was sleep deprived. What caught Tony's eyes was that the sleeve on Barsons' left arm was all the way down while the right one was rolled up. It was also the same at the crime scene.

What could he be hiding?

"So, Barsons, what are you hiding there on your left arm?"

Jeremy Barsons looked up at him, shock now shining on his face. He was obviously not expecting that, especially in an interrogation revolving around a murder. Tony saw the poor poker face and knew he already had something on Barsons.

Tony also knew that if he waved in a couple of officers or detectives, they wouldn't have a problem holding him down and rolling up his sleeve to reveal what he was hiding. This was an interrogation that was linked to the death of a Baltimore PD detective. And they weren't going to admit to a defense lawyer that any wrong was done to the suspect while in their custody.

Tony motioned with two fingers and immediately two detectives walked in and helped roll up Barsons' sleeve, revealing a tattoo of a skull with a cross dangling from the base – the tattoo of the Rocci Mafia.

"I was wondering who would want to come after me specifically, especially trying to drag me back to Baltimore when I didn't have the backup of my team at NCIS. I think you, Nicky, forgot that I still have brothers up here in the police department who can back me up completely."

Majors and Andrews were both stunned at this revelation while watching from the observation room. Jim Rocci has been in jail since Tony had uncovered enough evidence and information to put him away nearly 11 years ago following a rather lengthy stint undercover with the family. But how did a distant relative, Nicky Carson, get involved and find out whom to go after with so much time in between?

The answer to their thoughts was about to be answered by Tony.

"I don't need a confession, Nicky. See here's what happened. I didn't fall asleep last night since I was thinking about who would have the balls to infiltrate the Baltimore PD and NCIS …" Tony paused, noticing how Nicky's poker face was failing horribly and he kind of jumped when he heard NCIS, "Infiltrating and trying to get me out in the open. Who would want little old me? I was thinking Nicky and it suddenly dawned on me. Actually, dawned on me right before dawn. I'll have to save that for later to ask my forensics genius if that can logically happen. … Oh wait, where was I? Oh yeah, it came to me that only Jim Rocci would hold a grudge for 11 years and try to come after me. Please tell me I'm wrong Nicky. Please tell me I'm wrong since you and Jimmy's little boy, what was his name? Oh yeah, Billy Rocci. Please tell me I'm wrong and you didn't try to break into my place to kill me so we can let you go."

Nicky Carson just sat there, his face pale from shock that Tony had quickly connected the dots and figured out most of everything. Nicky was one of those who spoke what he meant to think privately and basically spilled the rest of the case to him.

"Damnit. Why didn't I get one of Billy's men to take you out!"

"Whoa, wait a second Nicky? Did you just confess to being part of the new Rocci Mafia family and that Billy took over where his poor daddy left off?"

Nicky let his head fall down onto the table and just rested there.

Tony had the officers take him back to hold and looked back at the one-way mirror. This case had just gotten a whole lot more dangerous with the emergence of a new crime family that had only one immediate goal – make Tony pay for putting the godfather in jail.

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><p><strong>I hate doing this after the fact, but the next chapter or two will be the backstory to fill everyone in where I'm going with this adventure for Tony, Abby and Palmer. It may take a little while longer for me to write these next chapters than it was for the first 6 chapters. Setting the framework is much easier than creating a backstory that fills all the gaps and doesn't leave any lingering questions. <strong>

**In regards to a few reviews, yes, this is a fic specifically geared toward the friendships shared between Tony, Abby and Palmer. It's something that popped in my head a while back and nagged at me until I decided to write it. No Gibbs. No McGee. No Ziva. No Ducky. Just those three. It's a little different, but I hope everyone likes it.  
><strong>

**For all the kind reviews so far, I greatly appreciate them. Anyone who has any suggestions, feel free to voice them after reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is a little bit longer. It gives the back story to fill in any blanks. If you have any questions to where something needs to be filled in, please let me know. Also, again, I can't reiterate the kind words in the reviews. Hope everyone continues to read, enjoy and review.**

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><p>It didn't take Tony much time to get back to the condo following the new revelation. He was greeted by Palmer and a not-too-happy Abby, and could easily tell that Palmer had woken her up and she wasn't too thrilled to not be at least warned of what potentially was going down.<p>

Tony was expecting the upset face, the punch to his arm but he certainly wasn't expecting the tight bear hug Abby engulfed him in.

"Tony, I was so scared. You left me alone and expected Palmer to be able to protect me if anyone came to finish the job?"

Tony tried to play it off while Palmer's jaw almost hit the floor in shock when Abby said that.

The senior field agent wasn't sure what to exactly say or do at this moment. He had been thinking about Nicky Carson finding the condo, so moving Abby and Palmer were his priority and Abby essentially spoke what he was saying.

"So, if they know we're here, how are we going to be safe?"

Tony had a flash of brilliance and he turned to Palmer with a wide grin.

"Palmer, are you allergic to sawdust and bourbon?"

"No, why?"

"I know where we'll be safe and where you two can hear the adventures of Antonio Gabriel."

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><p>Billy Rocci sat in the visiting area of the maximum-security prison, palms sweaty and a little too anxious to see his father sit down across the table from him. His father couldn't tell if this were a last-time visit or if something had gone terribly wrong.<p>

"Billy, look at your old man. Why you trembling?"

"That damn DiNozzo did something again. I can sense it father. Nicky hasn't reported in about whether the hit was successful or not and none of those goons you told me to hire haven't heard from him either. I just got this feeling."

Jim Rocci immediately knew the feeling his son was experiencing. He had felt it as well and finally opened up about something his son would have never heard him say before.

"Listen here Billy. That DiNozzo is a jack-of-all-trades. You better believe if he sniffed something, he knows something's up. I know for a fact he didn't have police backup when he worked for me and he always knew when something was coming. He has an instinct that normal detectives don't have, which is why I never made him and that's what pisses me off."

Jim Rocci paused and looked at his son. For the first time, he told the truth about DiNozzo. Yeah, he hated the bastard for putting him away, but he was still mystified that a lowly detective was able to get so close to him that he was like a son. The only one so far who hadn't been served a bullet for an appetizer for deceiving him.

Which is why this last plan of his seemed to have come together far too easily.

He still couldn't believe that his son, known to those at NCIS as William Mason, was able to get a job at the Navy Yard as a non-descript agent and his nephew, Nicky Carson, was able to make his way into the Baltimore Police Department. It was a long, drawn-out process that started several years ago. Billy and Nicky had to sell everything – go to every training school and session possible, get physically fit and stay as far away from the heroin to make this work.

They passed mostly everything with flying colors and their phony backgrounds were solid as rocks. Jim had estimated that they would be able to get to DiNozzo within the last 10 months or so that the elder Rocci was still alive and be able to take him down.

It was almost perfect that DiNozzo's team at NCIS was gone except for him for those two weeks. The window of opportunity was there to murder a Navy officer in Baltimore and get DiNozzo back to Baltimore.

Billy and Nicky needed to find the perfect situation to get DiNozzo out of D.C. and up to Baltimore. A team from the Pentagon would likely take over that case, Billy reported. They needed another avenue, which is when Nicky suggested killing one of DiNozzo's old friends from the department.

"I have to ask Billy, why was Alderson chosen to be executed? And where did that Bradley guy come from?"

"Alderson was doing some double dipping for the Muchismo family in D.C. He sold the drugs for us, but body packed a little to take back to D.C. for them to sell. They gave him a little extra slice of the pie for taking our product, stealing it and selling it. He was easy."

"And the cop?"

"Nicky had followed him for about two months getting his schedule down. We knew he would be a Good Samaritan and try to help out. I was far enough away that he didn't see me and I was able to kill him before he got to Nicky. We stripped him of his weapons and took off."

Jim Rocci nodded his head in approval of how the plan had unfolded in getting DiNozzo to Baltimore. Then, he remembered why Billy was trembling when he first entered the visiting area.

"So, you don't know where Nicky is?"

"No father. I'm trying to think of what to do. DiNozzo is so clumsy and goofy at work. I don't see why he is so important to any agency."

"Look, go underground. DiNozzo has probably connected the dots. And do I need to remind you of how he acted when he got close to me? I don't think clumsy and goofy describe his focus and I guarantee you he has that same focus now. You need to stay safe and try to let this smooth itself out. The Rocci name needs to live on and you can't do that if you are like me behind bars or six feet under. Nicky likely is keeping his mouth shut so you should be able get away."

"Thank you father. I'll be back in two weeks and hopefully with better news."

* * *

><p>"Okay, since we all drove our own cars over here, who is Antonio Gabriel and why should be care anything about him," Abby immediately asked once they entered Gibbs' front door and Tony immediately locked it.<p>

He stared Abby down and pointed toward the stairs to the basement. Palmer was already heading down there when they both heard exactly what someone who has never been to Gibbs' basement before says upon entry.

"Why is he building a boat in the basement?"

Tony flashed a smile at Abby and both of them went down to the basement.

"So, about Antonio Gabriel, you sure you want to hear all of this?"

Both Abby and Palmer nodded as Tony sat on a workbench in Gibbs' basement and started to unearth the almost forgotten tales of Antonio Gabriel.

**- Flashback –**

A slick haired, designer suit wearing Antonio Gabriel strolled into Jim Rocci's personal office overlooking the bustling streets of downtown Baltimore. Tony had already welcomed the new persona of Antonio – a Spanish-born businessman who moved to the States before he turned 1-year-old and inherited a boat load of cash from his father, who found a way to traffic heroin and whatever other drug you wanted from either Spain or Central and South America.

The long-standing rumor that circulated throughout Baltimore, and had been picked up by the Baltimore PD through a few sources who could no longer be reached, was that Rocci was looking for a Spanish connection to expand his drug empire. If that expanded, Rocci could possibly move south to D.C. and begin overtaking rival Mafia operations.

Tony as Gabriel didn't appear fazed at the rumors that circulated about the blood on Rocci's hands from the countless murders that went unsolved each year. He was focused on the money and the drugs.

"Mr. Rocci, I was told you wanted to see me," Gabriel was the first to speak, using his to Spanish accent to make the sell. Tony was pretty sure if the sell were made, he would be Gabriel for a long time.

"Yes, Antonio, I am personally excited to meet a man of your stature. Thank you for coming, would you like a drink," Rocci's Italian accent nearly boomed through the spacious room. It was immaculate and larger than the Baltimore PD squad room.

"Yes, I'd love one," Gabriel replied. Tony's real-life persona and profession were thrown out the window, figuratively. Rocci gave him a smile and he knew that Antonio Gabriel was a new face in the Rocci Mafia.

"Good, it's my personal favorite – Dalmore. I only allow those who I view as trustworthy and respectable to drink from this bottle. Can I trust and respect you, Mr. Gabriel?"

"You most certainly can, Mr. Rocci. My father once told me that money is the easiest thing to obtain and save, but trust and respect are hardest things to gain and easiest to lose. I take trust, respect and money very seriously."

Rocci flashed a smile that mirrored that of Antonio Gabriel and a toast solidified the new bond.

**- End Flashback –**

"Tony, weren't you scared about how evil Rocci was," Abby asked, bringing Tony out of the memories that were flooding back to him.

"Yeah. Initially, I pissed my pants when Raimey picked me to go undercover. I'd done undercover work before, but never something as dangerous as infiltrating a Mafia family. I'm thankful I did because I wouldn't have the balls today to stand up to Gibbs if I didn't take that assignment."

"Seemed like you got in rather easily," Palmer pointed out.

"I told the cliff notes version. It took about three months to get to that point and then almost another six to gather the information. It was a long nine months of maintaining my cover as Antonio Gabriel. He was everything I despised in a human being."

Abby and Palmer shot each other a look that Tony knew far too well. He had revealed another part about him that they didn't know, despite how often he opened his mouth on a daily basis.

Tony let out an uneasy breath and finished up giving them a quick rundown of how the operation went down.

"In a nutshell, I was able to become Rocci's right-hand man. I knew where the money was coming from and going, I knew where all of his men were hidden in plain sight to strike whenever he needed them to and I found out quickly where and how he killed the people he wanted to take care of himself. I didn't have to do any of the dirty work – just keep the books and keep my ear to the ground to hear if anyone was coming after him. After finding ways to make him more money and tipping him off that someone was coming after him, I quickly found his trust."

He scanned both of their faces. Abby was absorbing the information and Palmer still had that look of 'we need to talk' plastered all over his expression.

"So, if you were able to get that close, how were you able to get the information to those you needed to get in touch with?"

"I called a designated number from a payphone in downtown Baltimore near one of Rocci's favorite dining establishments. Simple call, let it ring and have a detective pick up and then hang up. That was the sign. No one saw me call, so they had no clue how the police found them.

"The plan from the get-go was that I was supposed to be arrested with the rest of the family and crew. While the rest of the organization was being charged with murders, fraud, laundering and the whole shebang, they planned on dropping information to the Rocci's that I was being extradited to an European country for extortion and whatever charges they wanted to come up with to make it sound legit. This was to ensure that I didn't talk about the Rocci Mafia and they'd think that I was going away for unrelated charges."

"What went wrong," Abby asked.

"Rocci saw the officer release me from my handcuffs not far from where everyone else was arrested and give me a firm handshake and pat on the back in congratulation. I was seething at the time and let him know that – basically my cover was blown on the spot, whether I reacted or not. They whisked me away but the damage was already done. Rocci was adamant that he wanted my head."

Both Abby and Palmer shot another glance at each other. Abby found the words to ask: "So, what happened to Rocci?"

"He's in jail and currently on death row. In between trying to check on whether I still have friends in the department over the past 10 years, I've been monitoring the progress of Rocci to death row. He's scheduled to be executed in a few months."

Abby uneasily got up from inside Gibbs' new boat and walked up the stairs to the kitchen. It was about noon now and all three were starting to get hungry. As Tony rose to see if Abby needed any help, he heard Palmer clear his throat. That conversation still needed to happen.

"Look Palmer, about earlier … "

"No, Tony, listen to me. I'm concerned."

"Wait? Why are you concerned? You're safe. Abby's safe. I'm in control."

"You see, that's the thing Tony. I don't know if you are totally in control because of how you throw yourself into missions and you've got the responsibility of the MCRT. That didn't work out too well last time. You were dating Jeanne, put into the big shoes and had the rocky start, which cost Renny Grant years he didn't deserve to serve in prison. I know things sorted themselves out later, but you need to avoid something like that now, especially since you have no backup."

"Palmer, are you done," Tony asked, trying to temper his emotions after being essentially put in his place. "First, I'm not going at this like Gibbs went after Ari or the Reynosa cartel. I've kept you and Abby out of harms way from the very beginning. I haven't gone solo since I'm currently working with the Baltimore PD and they have my back. I know we haven't talked as much since Gibbs came back – primarily because I don't come down to autopsy and the lab as often as I used to – but I'm fine and under control. You've heard what we're up against, which is why I made sure the two of you were safe before I went any further. Gibbs would have been in action before he even thought about making sure his people were safe. Palmer, I've learned a lot from Gibbs and I've learned a lot about what mistakes to avoid. That's where we'll be fine this time."

"I'm just making sure Tony. And if you ever feel that you're about to lose control, don't remain quiet. Talk to me, talk to Abby. We're here."

"I know. Thanks Palmer."

That talked really did something for Tony since he took the steps out of the basement two at a time to get up to the kitchen and see what Abby was cooking. He was momentarily taken out of his train of thought when he heard and felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

"DiNozzo."

"Tony, it's Ms. Anderson from the apartment 213."

"Hey, Ms. Anderson. What can I do for you?"

"Were you expecting guests Tony?"

"No, I wasn't."

"Well, there was this man who came by your apartment. Didn't knock or anything, just looked around. He acted very suspicious. I poked my head out of my door and said I was going to call the police and he ran down the stairs to his car. I have one of those feelings, Tony."

"Yeah, I do too. Thank you Ms. Anderson. I'll look into it."

With that, he hung up his phone and found Abby and Palmer waiting for him to tell them what to do.

"Hmm … OK, here's what we're going to do. The two of you, go back down to the basement and cover the windows with dark cloth. I'm moving both of your cars into the garage and then my car will be parked a block over. If that same goon comes by, I'll get his license plate and call the police to report an angry driver who is a threat to others. That'll at least get him stopped and possibly searched."

With that, Abby stopped the cooking and found a few large blankets in Gibbs' closet that would cover the small windows in the basement. Tony grabbed all three sets of keys and quickly got the cars into the garage and the Baltimore PD motor pool car up a street and on the next block.

He ran back, hid in the bushes and waited. While he thought it would take forever, the suspicious car stopped in front of Gibbs' house and the driver stepped out. He definitely looked like a goon Rocci's son would hire – about 6 feet tall, some muscle, shaved head, a few tattoos and too much facial hair.

Tony quickly dialed 911 and advised that a man was suspiciously walking around a person's residence. He got them the car – standard issue Ford Crown Victoria with Maryland plates – and hung up.

A few minutes later, while Rocci's man was getting in the car, a few police cruisers cut him off in front of Gibbs' house and ordered him out of the car. Aside from finding a couple of guns on him, they found heroin in the glove box.

Tony watched them call in the wrecker and to tow the car away to the impound lot and put Rocci's goon, who is Maxwell Marshall based on his Maryland driver's license, in the back seat of the police cruiser.

Tony saw the pizza deliveryman pull up to Gibbs' place about a minute or two after the cops had cleared. While he was watching the drama play out in front of him, he called and ordered pizza since Abby hadn't been able to fix anything with the threat of someone finding them in Gibbs' place.

Tony got the pizzas, gave him some cash and entered the house. He heard Abby yell, "Don't come any closer!" We're heavily armed!" which brought a smile to his face. He opened the basement door and let the aroma of pizza float down the stairs.

It took a few moments before Abby and Palmer came running up the stairs like a couple of starving teenagers.

The three began indulging in pizza in silence, which allowed Tony's brain to begin refocusing on the case at hand. He took Palmer's words to heart and wasn't going to let his thoughts and feelings of the case to take control of his actions.

He glanced over at Abby as she picked at the pizza – she needed to search the bank records of Nicky Carson. She'd argue that was McGee's area of expertise, but since he was in LA, she needed to handle it.

Palmer was busy finishing up the crust of his slice and Tony remembered that he needed more results from the autopsies when Abby broke his train of thought.

"Did you find out what exactly was in Alderson's stomach line?"

"It was a substance in a plastic bag. Can't really tell what exactly it is."

"Wait, what the hell did you find inside the Navy officer," Tony asked, almost spewing the soda he was drinking. "My guess is he was body packing."

"Wow, I hadn't thought of that yet. I couldn't tell what kind of drug it was, but it was something that wasn't easy to break down."

"I can guarantee you it is heroin. That's the specialty drug of the Rocci's. Looks like lil' Billy is definitely getting into his father's business. And he's likely going into hiding, which is what he did right after the bust was made."


	8. Chapter 8

**First, I should send a shout out to TechnoMistress for pointing out a glaring spelling error in the previous chapter. She's a life saver and a pretty damn good writer as well. If you have time, check out her works. My personal favorite, "Birthdays," is a definite must read. Now, back to the story ...**

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><p>Nathan Andrews began sorting through his files on the Rocci Mafia almost immediately after Tony called to inform him that one of Rocci's muscle, Maxwell Marshall, was in custody. It wouldn't be hard for Majors to get him transferred to Baltimore for booking and prosecuting, but that's not why Andrews was scurrying through his paperwork.<p>

While DiNozzo's quick thinking landed another Rocci Mafia member in jail, Andrews was trying to figure out how many that left unaccounted for in Baltimore. The two leaders – Billy Rocci and Nicky Carson – were obviously as hands on as Billy's father was by posing as an agent and police officer, respectively, and they needed some muscle to keep the day-to-day operations running smoothly.

Andrews was happy to be tracking down the few members of the Rocci Mafia on the streets instead of making the phone call Major Majors had to make in his office.

Billy Rocci's alias, William Mason, was not at NCIS and Leon Vance wasn't all too happy about receiving _that_ phone call after a day off with family. Finding out there was a mole within his agency from the Baltimore PD was almost embarrassing until he heard that DiNozzo actually uncovered it without any evidence and by making a suspect jump in his chair during an interrogation to confirm his suspicion.

"How did this all come about, if you don't mind me asking," Vance finally was able to ask after Majors was rambling about how great of a detective Anthony DiNozzo still is.

"A Navy public affairs officer, Jonathan Alderson, was found murdered in a park near the Inner Harbor near one of my detectives. Since it would be a conflict of interest for us to investigate a death of one of our own, we called Tony to come in to help since we felt he was the best one for the job. He's already solved Alderson's murder and we have plenty of leads regarding Bradley's death thanks to Tony."

"Did DiNozzo explain he was the only member of his team here in D.C. and that he shouldn't have taken the case?"

"He brought that up, but he still remains loyal to the Baltimore PD and to a fallen friend. Look director, I know you probably don't like him going behind your back to help us out, but allow him to do his job and bring justice to a fallen police officer. Someone with his talents as a detective and special agent does not need to be riding the bench. You never know what could happen."

"I know that all too well with the recent port-to-port serial killer case we had. Sat my best quarterback on the bench until he finally stood up to me and told me to give him the lead. The way it finished kind of reminded me of UCLA-Nebraska in September 1972."

"Unless you're a Nebraska fan, Director Vance," Majors shot right back.

"All right. Well, I guess DiNozzo is going to help you out for the duration of the case. The rest of his team is scheduled to be back in town and on duty the beginning of next week. You better pray he finishes it quickly or his boss won't like it one bit."

"Heard you loud and clear Director. You want to give him the good news?"

"Actually, yes I would. I haven't spoken to him yet and I'd like to hear how he plays it with me. We haven't had the greatest of relationships, so I'd want to find out exactly his views on going on his own."

"10-4."

Vance hung up, regained his composure and dialed the number for Abby. He had a feeling DiNozzo was close by and if Tony saw he was calling Abby, he might be caught off guard with thinking he wasn't in trouble.

* * *

><p>Tony was busy sifting through the copy of files Andrews gave to him, agreeing with the detective that it would be best for two sets of eyes to look them over and see if they could find where the Rocci muscle was hidden in plain sight.<p>

Tony knew where Jim Rocci had his muscle in place to strike, but wasn't sure if Billy Rocci took notes from his old man or decided to change things up a bit. Jim Rocci was known to hire various types of muscle – ranging from men who look like they would fit in better at a teenage-punk concert to those who probably worked as bouncers at nightclubs.

If Marshall's appearance at Gibbs' house was any indication, Billy Rocci was hiring the type of men who were assigned to protect him when Jim Rocci called the shots. It was easier to find the bouncer-type without doing much legwork, while Jim Rocci always tried to find those who would never question his judgment and had unique ways of making problems disappear.

Abby leaned over his shoulder, resting her forearms and head as she peered into the files, pretending she was reading them.

Tony didn't flinch a muscle and allowed her to remain there, knowing full well she couldn't read a single word in the files. When he reached the end of a page, he finally opened his mouth.

"Did you get anything off Carson's bank records yet? I would ask about Marshall's, but we just apprehended him."

"Oh ye of little faith Anthony DiNozzo. I checked Carson's records down in the basement while we waited for things to play out and then started on Marshall's when we were done with the pizza. As expected, there were a lot of suspicious payments made to Marshall."

"How much?"

"Anywhere between $100,000-$150,000 on various dates. Nothing consistent as to a payment structure or anything like that."

"Jim Rocci always paid his men on the street whenever a threat was eliminated. $100K for when you killed them and $150K when you caught them and gave Rocci the pleasure of killing them himself. How many payments has Maxwell received?"

"Six so far."

"So, we can chalk that up to six murders. That's good work, Abs," as Tony turned his head uncomfortably to his right and planted a kiss on Abby's cheek.

She lifted her forearms and rested her head on his shoulder while she wrapped her arms around his chest. It was a little more comfortable for the both of them while Tony began reading the files again.

"You have any idea what Palmer is up to," Tony asked.

"Last time I saw him, he was reading through his own files in the basement. I think he's intrigued to the whole boat being built down there."

"That's the autopsy gremlin for you."

"Oh Tony …" Abby was cut off by her phone ringing, which was conveniently on the arm of the chair Tony was sitting in. Tony grabbed the phone, opened it up and put it next to her ear for her to use so she wouldn't have to let go of him.

"Abby Sciuto."

"Ms. Sciuto, this is Director Vance. How are things holding up with DiNozzo running around without a clue of where he's going?"

"Oh, Director Vance …" Abby said, making sure Tony knew ahead of time who was on the other line. Tony didn't move and kept the phone next to her ear. She was about to snatch the phone from him until she noticed that he didn't move. She kept her arms laced around his chest and continued talking.

"Things are looking good right now, sir. We're hunting down bad guys and mysteriously hiding somewhere. Can't get any better than that, right?"

"Honestly Ms. Sciuto, if my forensics scientist and assistant medical examiner weren't having to hide because of a special agent's actions, I would be feeling a lot better about the situation. I've already been informed by Baltimore PD, so don't worry. I'm not upset, especially since DiNozzo already solved the murder of a Navy officer within a day. If he's around I'd like to speak to him."

Tony heard almost every word and immediately moved the phone to his ear, but leaving it titled at an angle so Abby could hear what was being said.

"Yes director, you wanted to speak to me?"

"Special Agent DiNozzo. That was awfully quick of you to get on the phone."

"What can I say sir, I have a way of knowing when you'll want to be talking to me."

"All parting shots aside, I've spoken with Majors from Baltimore PD. I was rather upset at first that you decided to go to Baltimore without informing me that the only member of the MCRT was going to take an active case when he was specifically instructed to only look into cold cases and pass along anything if there was anything to investigate. I don't remember telling you to take on an active case."

"With all due respect director, I took the case because there was a dead Navy officer and a detective who was a friend of mine. The department trusted me to investigate and find the killers of both victims. In a little more than a day, I found Alderson's murderer and have several strong leads on Bradley's murderer. In the process, we can take down a Mafia family that I almost completely took down 11 years ago. I don't see how this is a problem."

"Agent DiNozzo, you have two members of NCIS, non agents, who are having to hide because you involved them in the case. They are needed here, but cannot because you went forward to Baltimore without consulting me. Now, before you snap back at me, I said before that I was rather upset at first. After Majors told me how you handled the investigation, the interrogation of Alderson's killer and linked the murders to a known Mafia family, I'm not upset anymore. I don't think any other full team could have done that all in less than a day. Now, get this over with since Gibbs and the rest of the team will be back Monday. I don't think he'll be too happy that you, Ms. Scuito and Mr. Palmer are all having to hide because of this case."

"Thank you director. That gives me what, three days plus half of today. I think I'll be able to get it done."

"I hope so too for your sake. I don't think Gibbs is as forgiving as I am right now."

"Thank you director."

"Before I go. Where are you hiding exactly?"

"Don't worry director, we're safe."

Tony hung up the phone and Abby gave him a kiss on the cheek. She was happy that things went well and Tony didn't reach through the phone and try to strangle Vance. She felt safe with Tony there and had a feeling that nothing bad was going to happen to the three of them.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks again to everyone for the reviews. This chapter is a little bit longer and begins to wrap things up. I was having a hard time trying to extend the story more and felt that if I got everything I envisioned for this story put into this chapter, it should start tying things together. It might seem like I'm jumping from one scene to another, so I apologize if it takes away from the story. Hope everyone enjoys and I still do not own NCIS or any of the characters.**

* * *

><p>Tony was pretty sure he knew what that kiss on the cheek from Abby meant. She had faith in him to keep all three of them safe from the Rocci's, which seemed like the only group that would be coming after them.<p>

If she could see through his blank expression at the moment, he was beginning to reflect on his time as Antonio Gabriel. The memories were at times painful because of the dead bodies that continued to pile up, but something kept calling him to relive his days as Antonio Gabriel.

_- Flashback –_

Jim Rocci led Antonio Gabriel down one of the rundown allies in the seedy part of Baltimore, a mix of graffiti, broken liquor bottles and homeless people sprawled along the walls and on the ground. It's typically a place a Mafia godfather wouldn't be seen, but Rocci was different in his own way. If he could control the situation and rectify a problem himself, he wanted to do it.

Rocci was the face of the Rocci Mafia and he brought in Gabriel to be the one behind the scenes, making sure everything was taken care of. Tony was getting his first taste as Gabirel seeing what happened on the streets instead of sitting in the lavish quarters that Rocci had set up in Baltimore.

The alley ended with a semiconscious man bound, gagged and lying in between two dumpsters that were near full capacity. It was a Thursday evening and the trash was being collected in the morning and Tony's guess was that Rocci was looking to add to the trash pile that was going to be collected in a few hours.

Rocci had one of his men kick the man until he was conscious. Rocci removed the gag and the man coughed up some blood and vile that had been filling up inside his throat and stomach. He looked extremely ill as if he had been there for a while. His clothes were damp, likely from the brief rain that moistened the city for about 45 minutes during the heat of the day, and they were ripped, showing gashes from where he'd likely been beaten by Rocci's men before being dumped at the location they were standing.

"Are you done making a disgrace of me, Thomas? How dare you try to make a drop during the day while my man is standing outside of the Trade Center near the Inner Harbor! How stupid can you be to try something like that? You really think that your little indiscretion was going to be left unpunished?"

"Mr. Rocci, let me explain … "

"No. You see, Charlie here saw your tail, which is why he acted like he had no clue what was going on. He doesn't take, the undercover detectives tailing you can't make the bust. He didn't take, so they gave up and called it a day. And you decided to keep pursuing. Now look where it got you. Dead!"

Before Thomas could speak another word, Jim Rocco shot him right between the eyes. The echo of the gunshot was muffled by the silencer Rocco used, so not even the homeless people moved a muscle – either they were drunk, asleep or too scared to move. Tony watched as Charlie and Rocci's other man, Marcellus, moved the body into the trash dumpster, displacing a few items to fit Thomas' body in before filling the dumpster with trash to hide the body.

"You see there, Antonio," Rocci said, turning to Tony and pointing to the dumpster, "That is how you take care of someone trying to destroy what you have built. I enjoy the personal satisfaction of knowing that things are taken care of. You never know when someone says that the job is done and they are lying to you."

Rocci had this look when he said that, like his hazel eyes turned red and his normal straight face became maniacal. It unnerved Tony to see that look in the man's face, but he kept his composure and followed Rocci out of the alley.

"Now, Antonio, we go to celebrate at Slainte Irish Pub. I know you'll enjoy the soccer they play all the time on the televisions."

"Yes sir, Mr. Rocci. That sounds fantastic."

_- End Flashback –_

Tony shot up off the couch, startling Abby out of her peaceful mindset. He was sweating from his trip down memory lane and Abby was staring at him, almost in a shock that she hadn't noticed his condition before.

"Tony, are you okay? What's wrong, why are you sweating?"

"Abby, I need to call Baltimore PD. I think I remember a way to end this for good."

Tony immediately called Andrews to set up surveillance around the pub to see if any of Billy Rocci's men were there. In addition, he told Andrews to put a few plain-clothes officers near the Trade Center and look for the likes of Maxwell Marshall idling around the area. One or two could possibly be there as part of Billy Rocci's continued efforts to carry on his father's business.

"One more thing, Andrews. I need to speak to Nicky Carson again."

"Why is that Tony?"

"I want to see if he'll unknowingly tell us how many there are working for Billy."

* * *

><p>"Tony, you want us to do what," Palmer spat out after Tony went over the plan with them.<p>

"Palmer, I want you and Abby to go back to the Navy Yard. Billy Rocci is not there anymore and has likely gone into hiding. The director has added some security so once you arrive on site, you'll have an escort to the lab and autopsy. That way both of you stay out of harms way while I finish this deal in Baltimore. Besides, I need Abby to run facial recognition on the agent who had you running that mysterious test when I called you at your lab late last night."

"Tony, you aren't telling me I was running a test for a Mafia leader, are you?"

"Don't worry Abby, none of us knew. I had a feeling about him, but couldn't place him until now. He had us all fooled. Just run the facial recognition and if it matches Billy Rocci, we can add the charges of posing as a federal agent to the long list of crimes he's going to go down for."

"Okay, well, since I likely won't get shot there, I'm going," Palmer said before glancing another "There will be another talk about this" stare at Tony on his way out the door.

Tony watched Palmer drive off and looked over at Abby. She hadn't moved a muscle since Tony told both of them his plan.

"Abs … "

"Tony, I know how important this is for you to catch these guys, but don't shut me out now. Not after all we've been through; not after I've been put in danger twice in two days and you've been there to take care of me. And before you say anything, I'd like to go to the Baltimore PD with you to see what it's like up there. I never got to go while Gibbs was undercover with Joey Peanuts. Please."

"Has anyone told you that bribery will get you everywhere, Ms. Abby," Tony said, flashing a smile and opening his arm up for her to grab it as they walked out the door to the Baltimore PD motor pool car to drive back up there to interrogate Nicky Carson.

* * *

><p>The ride to Baltimore had a little bit more excitement to it for Tony than his previous trips. Abby was getting excited each time Andrews called Tony to give him updates and ultimately inform him that a member of Rocci's crew was spotted and subsequently arrested.<p>

By the time the two reached the station house, there was an equal excitement there and the buzz was circling that a known crime family was about to be taken down.

Tony ignored all the praise but stopped and glared at anyone who looked at Abby with mischievous eyes. She kept her arm interlocked with his to signify that she was with him and he didn't mind posing as her boyfriend, especially with police officers around.

They made their way to the interrogation room, where Tony introduced her to Andrews. Andrews led Abby into the observation room while Tony waltzed his way into interrogation, forcing Carson to jump up in his seat.

"I see you're still a little jumpy there, Nicky."

"I'm not saying anything else to you DiNozzo. I mean it this time!"

Tony sat down in the chair opposite of Nicky and stared blankly at him. Unlike the previous time where he enforced Rule 16 ,"If someone thinks they have the upper hand – break it," he took his approach this time – unorthodox.

Carson started squirming in his chair, his right arm still quite uncomfortable in the sling and the pain medication likely wearing off from where the bullet entered his right shoulder the night before. He kept glancing up at Tony, who just sat there with a big smile plastered on his face.

If looks could tell the story, Carson appeared to look as if he expected Tony to snap at any moment. His eyes grew wider every second Tony kept staring at him and his complexion grew paler as well.

Carson began to sweat and pant, the tension of not knowing what was going to happen almost making him explode before he spewed out whatever words came out that formed sentences in his mind.

"DiNozzo, you've ruined everything for me and Billy! I don't know what you want! I'm a good boy, I swear! I didn't do anything wrong! I killed a few people! I helped Billy sell drugs! I'm innocent I tell you!"

Tony continued staring at him. He could probably tell through the one-way glass that Andrews was enjoying it and Abby had absolutely no clue what was going on. Carson was having a mental break without Tony saying a word to him.

"What do you want you bastard! Make this stop!"

"I'm not doing anything Nicky," Tony said and the panic from Carson almost subsided immediately hearing another person's voice. "What I need to know is how many are employed by Billy. Just give me a number and their names. That's it and I won't bother you again."

"You promise?"

"Scout's honor."

"Okay. Billy took after his old man and didn't hire that many people. If his old man could build a near empire without many men, he thought it would work. Just appear that we were larger than what we were. And it was working.

"Billy hired me, first. I was his right-hand man, much like Antonio Gabriel was with … Wait, that was you all that time?"

"Names, Nicky. I need names."

"Oh, right. Billy hired four men after he hired me. His old man's best street thugs, Charlie and Marcellus, and two new guys – Johnny and Maxwell. They all about look the same. You know, we hit a group all together at night, but spread out during the same to keep an eye on things."

"Thanks Nicky."

Tony got up and walked out of interrogation, making sure to slam the door to make Nicky jump again.

"Good work DiNozzo," Andrews said coming out of observation. "You already trapped Maxwell and we picked up Johnny earlier. You think Charlie and Marcellus will show?"

"Likely they'll go to the pub together or they are with Billy. We might as well check out the pub later tonight," Tony said before noticing that Abby was still there. "You mind if I go with her to the lab? I want her to meet everyone down there and then she's coming with us to the pub."

"Why bring her?"

"She said 'Please,'" Tony answered, bringing a big smile to Abby.

* * *

><p>Tony and Abby sat in a plain color van stationed about two blocks away from the pub while a few other officers were sporadically placed to have multiple views of the pub. The sun was almost about to set and the patrons were steadily flowing in.<p>

"Tony, how on earth are you supposed to spot two men out of the masses of asses there in the pub?"

"I know what each of them look like. Charlie is 6-foot-3, 275 pounds, shaved head, no eyebrows, brown eyes, somewhat tan complexion. He's built like a lineman and has the Rocci Mafia tattoo on the inside of his left arm. That's his only body art. Marcellus is an inch shorter but 20 pounds bigger than Charlie. He, like Charlie, has a shaved head, no eyebrows and brown eyes. His Mafia tattoo is on his left forearm, where it was on Nicky."

"Oh, that's right, you knew them back when you were part of the family."

"Not funny Abby. And if you noticed, I didn't get a tattoo."

"I was wondering that. How come you didn't get one?"

"I didn't kill anyone. Once you kill someone for the Rocci Mafia, you get the tattoo of the skull and dangling cross and each chain link added is a body. These two could easily have three chains linking the skull and cross."

"I saw that Nicky dude's tattoo back in interrogation. That was some wicked art. I might have to think about getting that for a new tattoo," Abby said, smiling at Tony who gave her that, 'Please, tell me you're joking look,' before realizing she was gauging him to see what his reaction would be.

Tony was finally giving Abby a look that signified she was being let off the hook when she spotted something and hit Tony on the shoulder.

"Oww! What was that for?"

"Look. Your two friends are here!"

Tony looked up and saw Charlie and Marcellus walking toward the pub. He checked his walkie-talkie before giving out the command to take them down. Before Charlie and Marcellus could get two feet closer to the pub, a swarm of police officers and detectives surrounded them, forcing them to the ground and handcuffing them.

Tony got out of the van and walked the short distance over to the two muscle men, who immediately recognized him.

"DiNozzo! How dare you show your face around here! You ought to be dead," Charlie said, spit flying everywhere.

"Where is he," Tony coolly asked.

"He's in prison you moron. You put him there," Marcellus, a man of few words, shouted.

"I'm referring to Billy, mo-ron," Tony said, adding emphasis to moron. "Where's he hiding? I know how he works. He likes to run away whenever trouble comes knocking at his door."

Charlie and Marcellus kept their mouths shut this time, opting to be taken to lockup instead of saying any more. Tony acknowledged to the officers to take them away, which they quickly did.

Majors walked up to DiNozzo and gave him a pat on the back.

"Looks like this time things were done right. Got two who slipped through our fingers last time. Any idea where Billy is?"

"I wish I knew. If he's not hiding, he's not far away and he's probably going to come after me now, knowing that I'm responsible for most all of this."

"So you're not going to interrogate these two to find out more?"

"Don't have to. I got this feeling Billy's going to come to me. Once he does and I get him, this case will be locked up tight like a Samsonite."

"Whatever you say, DiNozzo."

* * *

><p>Tony pulled into Gibbs' driveway a little after midnight and didn't have time to react when he stepped out of the car and his head violently pushed down into the hood of his motor pool sedan.<p>

He didn't need to turn around to know that Billy Rocci standing there with a menacing smile on his face.

"You think you can tear apart my father's empire? You want to embarrass me by taking it away while I'm in command? Is that what you want DiNozzo? Answer me you bastard!"

"You see Billy," Tony said before landing a punch to Billy' chest. "You never were good about following up on your initial attack."

Billy began running away from Gibbs' house with Tony right on his heels. They went through the bushes across the street and passed through a few yards. People who were sleeping and woke up, looked outside at the two who were running through their lawns.

Tony was keeping pace with Billy despite the humming in his head from the contact it made with the hood courtesy of Rocci. Tony was feeling a little dizzy and briefly looked down to make sure he kept his footing. When he looked back up, Billy was not in his line of sight.

Tony stopped and started scanning the area using the moonlight to help him see things better. He looked over the ground to see if Billy left any footprints or if anything on the ground was broken from a foot heavily hitting the ground.

There wasn't much to see from where Tony was standing until he heard footsteps behind him and he twirled around. Tony felt the punch to the face almost instantly. His bottom lip was split open and he could see the blood spewing from his face as if it were in slow motion.

It might have felt like slow motion if he didn't react quick enough to land a solid jab to Billy's stomach and then an uppercut to his jaw.

The second punch sent Billy sprawling backward. Instead of regaining his balance to continue his surprise attack on DiNozzo, he went running again. This was the first time since he was ushered into his father's family that he didn't have the muscle behind him to finish the fight. He wasn't sure if he could win a fight, much less survive two more punches from DiNozzo.

Billy began sprinting and felt the sting of his ribcage where DiNozzo landed the first shot. His ribs were bruised and DiNozzo must have landed a strong punch to inflict that much damage.

Tony, noticing that Billy was fleeing like a little girl, accelerated into a full-blown sprint in chase of Billy. Tony felt like he was backtracking from where he originally chased Billy when the realization hit him that Billy was stopped in front of Gibbs' house and a gun drawn in Tony's in direction.

Tony stopped a few feet short of Billy and didn't drop his gaze at the younger man.

"This is the end of the line for you DiNozzo. I killed your friend in Baltimore and now I'm going to do what I aimed to do 11 years ago – kill you for ruining my father's life."

Billy's voice a little too uneasy for Tony's liking. He had a feeling Billy hadn't killed anyone before and was probably a little nervous. Tony noticed something out of the corner of his eyes and relaxed before he addressed Billy, thankful Billy had been zoned in on him the entire time.

"I don't think you have what it takes to pull the trigger, lil' Billy."

That name infuriated the younger Rocci. He raised his gun with a little more confidence and aimed it at DiNozzo's head.

Before Billy was even able to fire off a warning shot to prove to DiNozzo he wasn't lying, he felt the surge of electricity flow through his body and he immediately crashed to the ground. Tony looked up and wasn't the least surprised that Abby, hiding behind the Baltimore PD motor pool sedan in Gibbs' driveway, had tased Billy when he had no clue there was the threat of him being attacked. Tony glanced a smile at Abby while he turned over Rocci's body and cuffed his hands behind his back.

Tony picked up the weapon – a Glock 24 – and knew that Bradley's family was going to have closure from him capturing his killer.

Tony leaned over to Abby and kissed her on the cheek.

"Good work there, Special Agent Sciuto."

Abby blushed and opened the rear door on the passenger side of the sedan for Tony to put Rocci in to transport back to Baltimore.


	10. Chapter 10

Tony, holding Billy Rocci by his shirt collar and the handcuffs behind his back, walked him into the Baltimore PD squad room and was met with a round of applause.

Every detective and several officers decided to pass up on the comforts of their respective beds to welcome DiNozzo back with Billy Rocci in tow. The Mafia leader had been a thorn in their sides for the past several years and he had killed one of their own.

Many watched with eager eyes as DiNozzo handed him off to Andrews, who promptly sent him to booking. Tony had never received as many congratulatory handshakes and pats on his back before, but he was welcoming in them and savoring the moment.

After nearly 20 minutes of appeasing the department and receiving praise from Majors, Tony stepped outside and felt a light rain begin to sprinkle down on him. He sat on a familiar step outside of the main entrance to the department and allowed the rain to help him relieve the pain and thoughts that had flooded his mind during the drive up to Baltimore.

_- Flashback –_

"Uh? Where am I? What the hell! Why am I in cuffs? DiNozzo, you bastard! What did you do to me?"

Tony rarely uses interrogation techniques back-to-back times, but this wasn't an interrogation. He was transporting Billy Rocci, the leader of the Rocci Mafia and suspected murderer of Detective Bradley, up to Baltimore and he could care less what Billy Rocco was spewing out of his mouth in the back seat of the motor pool sedan.

Instead of smart mouthing Billy and informing him that a forensic scientist, who isn't trained as a field agent, was able to get the drop on him and render him unconscious with a taser – he remained silent like he had with Nicky Carson. Plus, he kept playing the scene of Billy falling to the ground in literal and figurative shock, allowing him to smile uncontrollably at Billy through the rearview mirror.

Billy, understandably, was incensed and demanded almost everything be explained to him. Tony remained silent – no radio, no cell phone, no A/C running despite the rather humid conditions outside after midnight, no windows down to drown out any noises, no nothing. Tony was going to savor bringing in the final piece of an undercover investigation that ended with a sour taste in his mouth and was finally coming to a close 11 years later.

He was heading back to Baltimore, a city he left under the most arduous circumstances, and a place where he flourished as a detective and was respected for his work in the field, not as a class clown or a prop for coworkers.

The louder Billy got in the backseat, the more Tony reminded himself of why he was brought back to Baltimore. The image of his friend lying dead on the grass on the park with dry blood covering his midsection and ruining the ground beneath him – that was plenty enough reason to be satisfied that not only was a Mafia leader going away, but justice was being served.

What was amazing is that he had almost done it by himself, but he had help when he needed it. His friends and former coworkers at the Baltimore PD had forgiven him and backed him up when he needed it. Abby and Palmer provided the clues, leads and insight to help him piece together the puzzle that was this crime.

Tony subconsciously bit on his lower lip and could still taste the blood from where Billy split it open with his punch in the pursuit. Instead of getting too high from this achievement to getting depressed for losing a friend, the taste of blood kept him grounded and focused.

It had been a long day of remembering things from his past he had almost forgotten, using a quick mind to make the necessary moves to capture the targets and having the natural instincts of a cop to know when things were either out of control or ready to fall in his direction.

Before Billy woke up and began trying to wake the dead in the backseat, Tony had called Palmer to give him the news – waking him up for the second time in as many days – and made sure Abby was home. Not often had those two been in a roller coaster of a case like the field agents typically were involved in and he definitely sensed that Palmer was planning on taking his allotted time off from work once Dr. Mallard returned.

With so many thoughts going through his mind and Billy's heated words going in one ear and out the other, Tony was rolling into the Baltimore PD parking lot. Billy Rocci was screaming for his rights, even as he was almost dragged into the squad room to many waiting detectives. It was finally over.

_- End Flashback –_

"It's finally over," Tony repeated. He almost said that phrase as if he didn't believe it himself. His body was finally relaxed for the first time in weeks. He wasn't relaxed at all when he was stuck doing paperwork because his mind kept fluttering to the assignment from Secretary Jarvis and back to figuring out the missing pieces in the cold cases.

The adrenaline and rush from the pursuit were beginning to wear off. Not only did he taste the blood from the punch Billy landed, but also he felt the welt on his head from where it was forcibly pushed in the car's roof by Rocci. The knot in his lower back forced Tony to sit up straight and his right knee buckled from all the time he had spent on his feet in the past couple of days.

Tony stood up and walked over to his car – a 2010 Mustang Cobra – that had been moved to the motor pool parking lot after it was discovered Rocci was the leak at NCIS and when he did not show up for work. It was a smart plan since Tony didn't have any other way to get back to D.C. without waking up either Abby or Palmer.

He quickly turned away those thoughts in his head and listened to the V8 engine roar to life. He pulled out of the parking lot and set his destination for the condo in Baltimore. He wanted to get a good night's rest before he made a trip to visit someone he had vowed to never see again.

* * *

><p>Jim Rocco was surprised he had a visitor waiting to see him. He was literally beside himself that he hadn't planned a visit or been informed ahead of time he was going to have a guest. It wasn't how it was supposed to work with him.<p>

After getting over the shock of someone other than his son or distant relative coming to visit, he was trying to wrap his mind around who would show up while the guards guided him down the long death row corridor and toward the visiting area.

His son, Billy, had been in recently and said he would be back in two weeks. Jim almost immediately eliminated him as an option unless he had good news in the development with DiNozzo.

Maybe it was Nicky, who Billy was worried about and decided to show up to reassure the elder Rocci that things were find and operating smoothly. That would be an unexpected, but pleasant surprising visit.

Or it could be Charlie or Marcellus. Those two were loyal to Jim Rocci and vowed to keep their eyes on Billy while he was in prison. They had been a like a second family for him with the amount of time he spent with them while running the operations. He knew their respective wives' names and all of their children. He was honestly expecting them so he could have a few laughs and catch up on how their children were doing in middle school.

Rocci was led around the corner and to the door that leads to the visiting area. Rocci was facing the door while his shackles were being released and he saw the face of a man he knew far too well. He clenched his fists and his face reddened, which prompted the guards to reapply the handcuffs to him and finally lead him out to the table to a smiling man in a sharp suit with slick hair.

"Anthony DiNozzo, the bastard himself comes to see me. Why ain't I surprised," Rocci greeted Tony. When Tony just smiled back at him and did not say a word, Rocci finally decided to continue. "Can I pour you a drink? Oh, wait, I'm in cuffs because of you and can't enjoy the things I did to earn the money and respect of those in Baltimore!"

Tony continued staring at him, a 1,000-watt smile plastered on his face. His mouth widened as he uttered the words he had longed to say from the day his undercover assignment was over – no, blown.

"I'm going to be there when they inject you. Have you picked a vein yet? I hear that there are certain veins that don't kill you as quickly as others," Tony said, noticing that Rocci's glare turned into a full-fledge, red-faced demonic expression. He expected that sort of expression since he thought he looked like Satan himself after he murdered people in cold blood.

"You know, I didn't drive all this way to tell you just that, Mr. Rocci," Tony mockingly said in his Antonio Gabriel voice. Rocci's nose flared up and his eyes turned that same red Tony saw in the alley back in Baltimore.

"I wanted to tell you that your empire, the Rocci Mafia, is done. I arrested Billy and Nicky within the past two days and all the henchmen that go along with it. We know the plan was your idea and carried out by those two who you admired as they grew up. I know how close they are to you since you groomed them from the day I first came into your life to take over your place and my place when we retired. Except, I wasn't going to retire as a Mafia member, Mr. Rocci. I finished what I started 11 years ago and your son will be sitting in your spot on death row 11 years after they stick the needle in you."

Tony stood up and leaned in nose-to-nose with Jim Rocci. Rocci was fuming, his face still crimson red and the murderous red still resonated in his eyes. Tony DiNozzo didn't back down from those eyes. His hazel eyes, cool and confident, stared directly into Rocci's and for a moment, he saw Rocci blink and stare back in disbelief. No one had ever looked Jim Rocci in the eye before and lived to tell about it.

Tony smiled and simply walked away. Jim Rocci dejectedly fell into his seat and began crying. He had been defeated.

* * *

><p><strong>This is the next-to-last chapter of this story. I again appreciate the reviews and the constructive criticism. For everyone who has asked and requested, the final chapter will include the entire cast and their reactions to what happened in Baltimore. It might be a few days before I get it up, but it'll be here. Thanks again everyone.<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**And here it is, the final chapter. For all the reviewers who have been with me from the start, and you know who you are, I sincerely say thank you for making this writing experience enjoyable. It's been fun. I hope everyone who reads enjoys this.**

* * *

><p>The three weeks felt like an eternity for Leroy Jethro Gibbs to be away from the Navy Yard, but truth be told, they were the most refreshing weeks of his life.<p>

After spending the better part of three weeks in Europe reliving old adventures with Dr. Mallard – all of course the ME's idea two weeks prior to their trip – and getting to enjoy his time aboard instead of focusing on work, he could say he was indeed refreshed and ready to begin working again.

He got off the elevator and made his normal trip to the bullpen before slowing down three feet from Tony's desk. His senior field agent was already in the office, working on paperwork it looked like and he was enamored with it to say the least. And the fact that Tony was wearing a dress shirt and no tie with jeans meant that something was different since Mondays were the days Tony displayed a new suit or wore one of his designer ones.

Gibbs took in the sight and began walking again.

"Something happen at your apartment while I was gone, DiNozzo?"

Tony didn't look up from his paperwork as he replied. "No, nothing wrong Boss. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was expecting some dust to line the furniture and baseboards when I returned. Plus, I remember having a whole lot more than a drop of bourbon left in the bottle in the basement."

Tony still didn't look up, only thinking, 'Damn, Abby, why'd you have to go and drink Gibbs' bourbon? And why did you drag me over to his house on a Saturday to clean?'

"You know, Boss, maybe you should look into that ghost thing," Tony said, finally looking up at his boss. "You know the movie 'Ghost Busters,' with Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd, that might actually be true. I thought I saw those guys come by my apartment complex over the weekend and do some work in the apartment across from me …"

"DiNozzo, I don't care that you stayed at my house," Gibbs interrupted, not wanting Tony to go into a full-fledge play-by-play of the ghost extermination. "That's why the front door is unlocked."

Tony didn't acknowledge as he finalized the report from the Baltimore case and closed the folder. He got up and dropped the folder on Gibbs' desk, along with a request form for time off. It was time he finally got a chance to get away from the office.

"You only want two weeks off, DiNozzo? After being here by yourself for three?"

"I only need two. Besides, Abby should be up here shortly with her request as well. We're going on a trip together. Not sure where yet, but we'll figure that out before we leave later this afternoon. Might be a lengthy road trip, at the best."

"And this?"

"Oh, yeah, that's the case I worked last week. Wasn't a big deal at all."

"Tony, don't you ever say any case isn't a big deal," Abby interjected as she joined the two in the bullpen. She handed Gibbs her form requesting time off and looked back at Tony. "Guessing you're going to make him read it to find out what happened?"

"I guess," Tony said, brushing it off. "No sense in staying here any longer since we've got to hit the road to get started on our adventure to wherever that may be. Besides, I think I owe you an additional dinner to the dinner and movie night I already promised you."

"Oh! You remembered! Wait, why do I get an additional dinner?"

"For that thing you did with the taser," Tony said, flashing his patented smile at Abby. She immediately lit up and Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"I don't want to know," Gibbs flatly said. With that, Abby grabbed Tony's arm and both walked to the elevator where McGee and Ziva were stepping out to go to the bullpen.

"Where do you think you two are going," McGee asked, curious to why Abby was with Tony after spending three weeks with him. He thought Abby would probably want to be as far away from him as possible if he annoyed her as much as Tony annoyed himself and Ziva.

"Well, it's good to see you too after three weeks, McGrumpy. Welcome back to D.C. from Hollywood," Tony said.

"Hello Tony," Ziva said, trying to ease the tension. "You and Abby seem to be going somewhere?"

"We are. Tony and I are taking two weeks off and going on a road trip to wherever we want. It's going to be a blast!"

"Road trip," McGee and Ziva both said in a more questioning manner than a statement.

"Yes. Now, if you two probies don't mind, the hard working two of this foursome is heading out. See you later," Tony said as both he and Abby got onto the elevator and watched McGee and Ziva's shocked expressions as the elevator doors closed.

"Boss, are you seriously going to let Tony and Abby go on a road trip together? I mean, who knows what could …" McGee said before receiving the famous Gibbs stare in return.

"McGee, grow up. They were both here three weeks without us. I'm sure we can manage without them for two weeks. Besides, it looks like Tony did just find without us," Gibbs said as he closed the file Tony gave him on the Baltimore case.

"Yeah, sitting at his desk and looking at cold case files isn't the hardest thing to do," McGee said before looking at the completed reports on his desk.

"Did Tony finish your reports too," Ziva asked as she scanned through the few outstanding reports she had left to complete when she left for Tel Aviv with Ray.

"He did. Boss, what was that you were looking through?"

"Just a case DiNozzo handled the past week in Baltimore. He didn't make a big deal out of it."

"Was it something simple." Ziva asked, more sarcasm in her voice than wonder.

"Yeah, I bet he went up there to work the case as an excuse to see his friends from the Baltimore PD," McGee added.

"He solved two murders and took down an entire Mafia family in three days," Gibbs said with some pride in his voice.

McGee and Ziva's faces were frozen in shock. Both of their mouths were gaped open and it looked like at any moment their jaws were going to fall down to the desks.

"What? You two make it seem like DiNozzo can't do anything on his own," Gibbs said as he went up the flight of stairs to see the director.

Ziva was the first to come out of her state of shock a few minutes after Gibbs had left.

"Well, Tony is a capable investigator. I guess it must have been extremely easy to apprehend the Mafia leader …"

"Uh, Ziva, this is America. Mafia leaders don't usually do the dirty work," McGee said, thinking he was correcting her about the case Tony solved.

"Well, we could always look at the file over there, McGee," Ziva said, pointing to the closed file on Gibbs' desk.

Without saying a word, both went over to Gibbs' desk and retreated to McGee's, beginning to read Tony's journey back to Baltimore and realizing how much he was capable of accomplishing when no one else was watching.

Enclosed with the report were commendations from Major Majors of the Baltimore PD and Director Vance. They both cited Tony with outstanding detective work, thoroughness and an uncanny ability to connect clues where many might have overlooked.

McGee and Ziva exchanged glances at each other as they read through Tony's report of how the two murders were solved and linked together; unearthing two moles, one in the Baltimore PD and the other in NCIS; breaking Nicky Carson in interrogation in almost record time; orchestrating a string to capture each member of the Rocci Mafia and ultimately capturing the leader, Billy Rocci, with a little help from Abby.

Gibbs stood next to the director outside of MTAC overlooking the bullpen and he could imagine the looks they had on their faces. Gibbs was smiling inside, proud of what his senior field agent had accomplished, but staying poised on the outside so he didn't appear to be gloating in front of the director.

"Your boy proved me wrong, Agent Gibbs. I have to admit, he has a way of impressing me when I least expect it."

"Ya think," was all Gibbs had to say as he skipped down the steps back to a surprised team in the bullpen.

* * *

><p>"What do you think their reactions were like," Abby asked Tony as he looked forward through the window at the open road. The two were on the Interstate heading south to Florida. They narrowed it down to Orlando, Daytona Beach and Miami as acceptable destinations for about a week and a half of relaxing, partying and enjoying the feeling of not being employees of a federal agency.<p>

"Whose reaction? That driver I just cut off about 30 miles back there? Look Abby, he had it coming. He didn't even use his turn signal when he swerved in front of me."

"No, silly, I meant Gibbs and Ziva and McGee when they find out what all you did in Baltimore. You have to admit, I don't even think Gibbs thought you had that in you."

Tony sighed, hoping Abby would drop the topic once she heard him brush it off with Gibbs in the bullpen. He didn't think much of it and hadn't even told her about the commendations from the Baltimore PD and Vance. He was still kind of shocked about Vance heaping praise on him, but hell, he'll take it. Whether he admitted it or not was another thing for another day.

"Like I told Gibbs in the bullpen, it wasn't a big deal. He probably understands since he would have felt the same way for doing the same thing for one of his old Marine buddies. They're my brothers, Abby, and I would do anything for them."

Abby smiled at him and began staring at the Interstate ahead of her. She realized that was Tony's way of politely telling her that he wasn't focused on the case and she began getting lost in her thoughts of what she was going to do with her time off.

Tony was relaxed as he drove. For the first time in 11 years, the burden he carried from the Rocci Mafia undercover operation wasn't going to weigh him down. The thoughts of what Jim Rocci had possibly ordered his best men, Charlie and Marcellus, to do to him wouldn't haunt him in his sleep anymore.

He was finally free. Free from wondering what his former coworkers in Baltimore felt of him taking down their former major. Free from all the thoughts and images that had kept up him up at night from his undercover stint, even several years after he left Baltimore. As much as he hated the reason for going back there to begin with - a dead detective, who was also a friend - he was glad he went back to Baltimore.

"Abby, you know what movie this reminds me of … "


End file.
